On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that following her work to secure and implement provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, all federal wildland firefighters, including many working throughout Nevada, will see a significant pay raise through 2023.
Senator Cortez Masto fought to provide pay raises for over 16,000 firefighters in last year’s bipartisan infrastructure bill, but the implementation of these vital raises has been significantly delayed. She repeatedly pressed the administration to speed up the process.
“I made sure the bipartisan infrastructure law prioritized efforts to combat and prevent wildfires and support the brave firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect us,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This significant pay raise will help wildland firefighters in Nevada and across the country stay on the job and keep our communities safe.”
The senator helped secure over $3.4 billion for wildfire prevention, suppression, and restoration activities in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, including $10 million she authored for wildfire detection equipment. Last year, she also introduced her comprehensive Western Wildfire Support Act to help prevent, respond to, and recover from wildfires.
